Jacksonville Mayor Peyton stops in town for Super Bowl talk

Jacksonville Mayor John Peyton doesn't come across as the biggest sports fan in Florida, but the 2005 Super Bowl might not have a bigger supporter.

Speaking to the St. Johns County Sports Club on Thursday, Peyton said he is as excited as anyone about the game in February. It just doesn't have anything to do with what happens between the sidelines.

"Jacksonville has a phenomenal opportunity to grow through sports," Peyton said. "We think it's a great economic driver."

Nothing in sports -- with the possible exception of the Olympics -- has the kind economic power of pro football's championship game.

Peyton said the impact to the region is estimated at $250 million.

But Peyton is looking more to the future for the real way the Super Bowl will change Northeast Florida.

Because this is the first time the Super Bowl has been to Jacksonville, Peyton said this will be a chance to showcase this part of the country to businesses all over the world.

"The Super Bowl will be a phenomenal opportunity to tell the story of Jacksonville," Peyton said.

"This really puts us on the map nationally. This is an event we hope to parlay into meaningful economic impact."

It's important that sports in Jacksonville generate cash and market the city because the government has put a great deal of money into sports facilities in the last several years.

As part of the voter-approved Better Jacksonville Plan, the city has welcomed the construction of a new minor league baseball stadium and a new downtown arena near Alltel Stadium. The football stadium also has received some recent renovations, thanks in part to some financial assistance from the city. Peyton makes no apologies for that.

"There is some controversy about how much money we've put into the stadium," he said. "To me, it's about return on investment."

You can't get a much better return than a Super Bowl, although the sports windfall might not end there.

Among the possible sporting events in Jacksonville's future that Peyton talked about was a BCS bowl.

The city is currently the host of the Gator Bowl, but Jacksonville is under consideration for the newly added fifth BCS bowl that would join the national championship rotation.

For now, the main focus is on making the upcoming Super Bowl a success. While Peyton admits that the NFL is in charge of most of the game's details, there was one thing he did promise Thursday's audience about the halftime show.

"I think there's one thing you can bet on: It will be clean," Peyton said. "I would like to see a show that focuses on our military."